


Five Things That Happened Immediately After

by queen_of_hells_bells



Series: The Five-Step Guide [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern, Angst, Breakup, Cas and Dean aren't together in this obviously, Dean Needs A Hug, I know, I really have no sympathy for Cas, I'm the worst person ever, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, cas is a dick, ngl, they're morons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6383503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_of_hells_bells/pseuds/queen_of_hells_bells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So Cas broke up with Dean again, and things aren't going very well.</p><p>This is the eighth installment in this series, so I really wouldn't start here if I hadn't read the others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Things That Happened Immediately After

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MirkatManor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirkatManor/gifts).



First: Dean got drunk.

The rum wasn’t burning his throat nearly as bad as it had been an hour ago, which mean that Jo’d watered it down. Or, Dean thought as he lifted his head to growl at her, he was just really drunk. He paused for a moment; head stuck at an uncomfortable height, tilted vaguely to the left, then shook it off. Nah. He was fine. Besides, even if he _was_ (were? No. Was.) drunk, it was all Cas’ fault.

 _Cas_. The thought of his name made Dean’s face scrunch in anger. Who the hell was Cas to say that Dean needed to learn to trust again? Cas wasn’t _allowed_ to break up with him again—he’d _promised_ that he wouldn’t. So it couldn’t be real, right? They were still together, because Cas had _promised_ him. But…if they were still together, why was Dean drunk and not at home eating Chinese with his boyfriend and watching a movie? Maybe they _had_ broken up….

Dean jerked himself out of his thoughts, one hand yanking up into the bar, hissing loudly on impact. “Jo!” The young blonde turned lazily from the tap to her friend and smirked. “Fuck off. Ice.” Stifling a laugh, Jo scooped up a glass of ice, moseying down the empty bar until she could place it on his hand.

“What’s wrong, Dean? Hurt your useful hand?” She gave him a wicked grin that broke into laughter when Dean tried to flip her off using the hand currently squashed by the glass of ice. “Hold that thought, Scissorhands, we’ve got company.” Dean looked down as Jo walked to the other end of the bar, checking to see if Cas had called. He hadn’t. Distantly, Dean heard Jo’s voice, telling the customer she was just going to go check in the back.

Confused, Dean looked up. What could you need in a bar that wasn’t already….

All rational thought was gone from Dean’s head because sitting down the bar from him was Cas.

 _Cas_ , his hair all slicked down the way he’d used to before he found out Dean hated it. _Cas_ , dressed in his Sunday best—his date clothes. _Cas_ , hand placed possessively on the wrist of a handsome young twink. _Cas_ , smiling, eyes crinkling as that _boy_ talked lowly in his direction.

 _Cas_.

Dean saw red. He stood, stumbling his way down the bar to where his definitely-ex sat. He straightened his shirt and cleared his throat. “Hello, Castiel.”

Second: Michael was confused.

Castiel was awoken by a knocking on his door and loud voices coming from the door-area. He grunted, rolling off the couch and landing hard on his knees. “I’m _coming_.” He stumbled to the door, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he pulled the latch and yanked it open. “Oh.” He stood back in surprise. “Were you coming today?”

Michael snorted, shoving Castiel lightly to the side as he entered the apartment. “Yes, Cassie, we were coming today. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.” Samandriel smiled a hello at Castiel as he followed his fiancé through the door. Cas was still blinking at the door when he heard clinking bottles, and suddenly realized that he’d left out the evidence of last night’s…indulgence. “Cassie?” He winced.

Swallowing his pride, Castiel shut the door and turned towards his cousin. “Yes, Michael?” He tried for an innocent smile that felt more like a grimace and sighed when he saw Michael’s face. Disappointed.

But then, bizarrely, a small smirk covered Michael’s face. “Ya know, Cassie, Alfie and I had a very interesting encounter last night.” From the guest room, Alfie chuckled, making Castiel frown. “We got into town late and stopped at a bar for a quick bite.” Castiel frowned harder, causing his cousin to chuckle and shake his head. “Cassie, sit down before you hurt yourself. Alfie, babe, you want anything?”

Alfie appeared from the guest room, grabbing Castiel’s shoulders and directing him to the kitchen table. “Tell him the story, Mike, he’s gonna hurt his face like this. I’ll put the coffee on.”

He’d started to move away before Michael caught his arm and pulled him in for a kiss. “I love you.” Alfie just grinned and winked before pulling away, swinging his hips as he took the four steps to the coffee maker. Michael grinned and pulled out a chair. “Anyway, Cassie. Last night. We stopped-“

“At a bar for a quick bite, I know.” Castiel looked grumpily at his cousin. “What exactly is the ‘interesting’ part of this story?”

Michael tsked but held out his hands in a placating manner. “Well, Alfie and I were just sitting there quietly, waiting for our food when we were approached by and harassed by another man. He kept accusing me of cheating. Said that now he understood why he shouldn’t trust me.” Castiel froze, a horrible feeling tightening in his chest. “He said that he was going to take my advice and find someone to trust; that he was going to move on since it’s apparently so easy.” The cousins stared at each other, Castiel struggling to keep himself from slamming his head into the table.

He took a breath. “Well that’s…weird.”

Michael looked distinctively disappointed at his answer and sighed. “It _is_ weird, Cassie. Especially since he was calling me ‘Cas.’”

Third: Sam killed the angels

Dean had insisted, back when he and Castiel were together, that Castiel put a bell on the door to his shop. He’d said that all bookshops had a bell, and it was simply rude not to have one. Normally the bell made a happy jingling sound: it had always reminded Castiel of that Christmas movie Dean had made him watch, the one about that angel. Dean had picked out the bell, eyes sparkling as he’d held up the little golden instrument, laughing at Castiel’s scrunched-up face of disapproval. Castiel had grumped all the way through the first month after Dean put the bell up, but it had grown on him. He enjoyed counting the times it rang each day, imagining all the new angels being outfitted. And he’d especially loved the way Dean would always close the door and ring the bell again to let Castiel know that it was him.

So when he heard the bell cut out suddenly in the middle of a ring, he was understandably concerned. Straightening up from where he’d been kneeling in the back, brushed the dust off his knees and headed to the front. “Excuse me?” He called. “My I hel-“ he trailed off as his eyes took in the terrifying sight before him: Sam Winchester, dressed to the nines in his work suit, one massive hand wrapped around the bell. He looked tense. Cas swallowed nervously. Sam’s back tensed even further.

“It’s a nice bell, Cas.”

There was a threat in his voice and Cas swallowed again. “Yes.”

Sam sighed, tightened his grip and yanked the bell off of the door. He gave it a shake and a small sad dinking sound emerged.

The two men stood there together in silence for another moment before Sam let out a quiet sigh. "Never again, Cas."

Before Castiel could respond, Sam had opened the door and pulled it shut behind him, disappearing into the busy sidewalk. For the first time in years, the shop was silent.

Fourth: Castiel goes numb.

"You did _what_?!" Gabriel's voice sounded tinny coming out of Castiel's speaker, causing the man to flinch. "You told him _what_?" Castiel gave the phone an anxious look, slightly afraid of returning it to his ear. There was a momentary pause. "Because I could have _sworn_ that you _promised_ him that this would never happen again."

"Gabriel-"

"DONT 'Gabriel' me like that, you little shit. You _promised_ , Cassie. You had me make him a PIE." Castiel could only pause for a moment unsure of whether or not it was safe to speak, before Gabriel was back at it. "I mean at least last time you gave him a reason, albeit three years too late and mostly bullshit."

Castiel's breath caught. "Don't you _dare_ -"

"I know, I know." He could almost see his big brother running a hand through his long hair and streaking it with flour. "I didn't mean that. Well, the three years too late I meant, but not the other part. Sorry."

"I know you are," Castiel managed to sniff out. There was a sigh on the other end of the line.

"But still, Cassie. How could you? Again. Dean doesn't deserve this."

Castiel stared at his kitchen floor, rewatching his last fight with Dean play out in front of him again and again and again. He saw Dean's body stiffen, heard the thud of his fist against the countertop, smelled the pie Dean had been whipping up, felt the empty grab he'd made for Dean as he left, tasted the regret that was still fresh in his mouth. He sighed, the sound filling the empty room as Gabriel's worried squawks came rushing back.

"You're right." Silence. Even Gabriel had stopped talking. Castiel sighed again. "Gabriel, you're right. Dean doesn't deserve this. He shouldn't have to deal with my shit anymore. Thank you." And with a sense of finality, Castiel hung up on his big brother.

Fifth: The Beginning of the End

It had been a week. A week of silence for Castiel. Keeping to his old schedule from the first break-up: working and sleeping. Except this time he felt nothing, heard nothing, saw nothing. He was in sweet, awful bliss. He had taken to taking walks, sometimes accompanied by Michael or Alfie or even both, but more often by himself. He would wander the city streets, past old haunts and places he’d never seen before. He passed by everything without a hint of noticing his surroundings, until one night. One night was all it took to throw him off. One tiny change was all it took to shatter his tiny world: a sign.

Dean's house was for sale.

**Author's Note:**

> First. Okay. I know I'm a horrible person, absolutely none of you have to remind me. Though if you did, I wouldn't blame you.
> 
> Second. I'm gonna go back and change the last part of the last one, because I like this storyline better. It works for me better. Sorry if you wanted Dean and Michael to get together. I promise I still love you.
> 
> Third. I really do still love all of you, even though it's been over a year since I updated this. I swear I didn't know that. I genuinely thought it hadn't been that long. I thought I updated in like September or something. I'm really, REALLY sorry.
> 
> Fourth. Hope y'all had a good Easter, unless you don't celebrate Easter, in which case I hope you had a great Sunday. Or whatever day you're reading this on. Basically, I hope you're happy.
> 
> Fifth. Again, I'm sorry. Please don't hate me.


End file.
